Taking cinema business seriously

Owner of HCK entertainment wants film publicity to be given due importance

KARACHI: It is not only the production aspect of filmmaking that grows with an evolving cinema industry but, distribution and exhibition go hand in hand with it. Though the interest of these three wings of cinema business may coincide at places, they holistically form an industry. Hammad Chaudhry of HKC Entertainment, who is also the owner of the only IMAX in Pakistan, thinks that Pakistani cinema is far from what we call a “revival”.

“The revival is an ongoing process, and we are far from making a full recovery!. Filmmaking is still a niche because we do not have enough film makers but it won’t be long before we churn out a film or two per month on average,” Chaudhry told The Express Tribune. However, he is more optimistic about the business side of cinema as the box office collections are not entirely dependent on the release of the one-off Pakistani film.

“The business of cinema is looking bright as Exhibitors are inundated with content being supplied to them week in week out. However for producers, the business must be planned very smartly”. He asserts that Pakistani media practitioners must not ignore the importance of creating hype around one’s product. It’s not about completing the film, but having to plan your publicity and advertisement budget, commonly referred to as the P&A budget in advance that matters.  “In Hollywood, the P&A budget sometimes is higher than the cost of the film itself.  Plan your economics and do not be deluded by the glam of it,” concluded Chaudhry.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st,  2015.

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